Switchboard for telephonic or telegraphic purposes.



No. 663,367. Patented nec. 4, |960.

c. SHURE 6 c. HEAP. SwlTCHBRD FR TEL'EPHNlC 0R TELEGRPMC PURPSES.

(Application led Oct. 7, 1896.)

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lo. 663,367. Patented Dec. 4, |900.

v C. SHURE 8. C. HEAP. SWITCHBOARD FOR TELEPHONIE 0R TELEGRAPHIC PURPOSES.

(Application med oct. 7, 1896.)

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UNITED STATES CHARLES SHORE, on BOLTON, AND

ROOHDALE,

PATENT FFICE.

CHARLES HEAP, OF CALDERSHAV ENGLAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,367, dated December 4, 1900.

Application iiled October '7, 1896.

To @ZZ whom, 711i 77cm/ concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES SHORE, residing at Bolton, and CHARLES HEAP, residing at Caldershaw Rochdale, in the county of Lancaster, England, subjects of the Queen of GreatBritain, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Switchboards to be Used for Telephonie or Telegraphic Purposes, of which the followingis a specification.

Our invention relates to multiple switchT boards for telephone-exchanges, our object being to dispense with the flexible cords now in common use for completing the talkingcircuits.

Our invent-ion also comprises other features, all of which will be fully described in the following specification and then particularly pointed ont and defined in the claims.

For the purposes of the following` description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a perspective view showing a portion of a multiple switchboard constructed in accordance with our invention, two plugs being shown inserted in the jacks. Fig. 2 is an elevation of one of the plugs. Fig. 3 isa central longitudinal section of the saine, part. of the handle being in elevation. Figs. i, 5, and 6 are detail views showing modified forms of contact pieces disconnected from the switchboard. Fig. '7 is a view showinga further modilication of the same. Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a View showing in three parts an end elevation of the arrangement shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. Fig. l0 is a plan view of the switchboard with two plugs inserted to connect two substations for conversation. Fig. ll is a detail perspective view of the modified form of strips and contact-pieces, the strips being broken away at each end thereof.

The switchboard is composed of a series of plates ct of non-conducting material, said plates being arranged horizontally, as shown in Fig. l, one above another, with a suitable intervening space. They may be formed of wood, ebonite, orothersuitable material, and upon their adjacent surfaces are attached narrow metallic strips running longitudinally Serial No. 608,172. iNo modela and slightly separated from one another. For example, on the under surface of one plate o are strips a', a2, a3, the., to a, and on the u pper face of the next plate below are similar strips b, b2, b3, dtc., to Z212, placed directly under and parallel with the strips a/ a2, die. At equal intervals non-conducting strips (il are inserted between the two series of metallic strips, forming spaces c, which serve as jacks. The strip a in each of the upper series is connected by a wire e to a wire c3, and the strips b' in the lower series are similarly connected by a wire c to a wire c?, both wires e2 and c3 being con nected to a single swil ch l. (See Fig. l0.) ln like manner the strips a2 are con` nected by wires c4 to a single wire e, and strips b2 are connected by wires e to a single Wire c7, both e5 and e7 being connected to a second and separate switch 2. Similar connections are made for the remaining strips ai b3, a" h4, tbc., up to and including the final strips C012 hl?.

To connect two substations for conversation, two plugs are required, the construction being the same for both. Each consists of an ebonite handlef, having an attached non-conducting portion f", which enters the jacks c and is provided with two metallic pieces g g', arranged inside the hollow portionf, opposite each other and out of contact. These pieces have contact-termin als g2 g3, which project in opposite directions through openings in the portion f, said terminals projecting beyond the opposite outer surfaces of said portion f and at such a distance from the ebonite handlef that the contact-terminals engage the strips a b'. A Second pair of plugs differs from these only in the location of the Said contact-terminals at such a point that when the plug is inserted in the jack they will enthe strips a2 b2. In a third pair they will be so located as to engage the strips a3 b3, and so on. At the end of the part j" is a contact g4 and a separate contact-terminal g5, which when the plug is placed in the jack engage contact-springs h 7b', respectively, at the back of the board. These springs form part of the talking-circuit between two substations, which are conventionally indicated at c' and t" in Fig. l0. To establish this circuit, a subscriber calls the central office or exchange IOO in the Well-known manner, (not shown in this case,) and the operator at the latter point inserts a plug D in the jack of the subscriber, who calls and inquires what station he desires to communicate With, and, upon ascertaining, the second plug D is inserted in the jack of the subscriber wanted. The circuit now is from substationtthrough springcontact h, to which the subscrihers Wire is 'connected, through the contact g4 of plug D to the upper spring gf, and contact g2, which is shown in Fig. 10 as engaging the strips d10. Through this strip the current passes to the contact-terminal g2 of plug D', and thence by spring g and contact gl to the spring-contact h and to the other subscriber-s wire. From the second substation 'L" the current returns to the spring-contact 7L and contact-terminal gof the plug D', to the lower spring g of said plug, to contact-terminal g3, metal strip hw, contact-terminal g3, and spring g of plug D to contact-terminal g5 and spring 7L' of station '11 in Fig. l the plugs D D are shown inserted in jacks in diiierent rows ot' the switchboard-the plug D, for eXa1nple, in jack No. 6 and plug D in jack No.18. 1n this case the plug D has springs g g' of the same length as those on the plug D, so that the contactterminals g2 g3 will engage the corresponding strips in the respective jacks, which are connected by wires leading to a single switch, as already described. When conversation is over, the subscriber rings oit in the Wellknown manner.

In Figs. 4E, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and ll we have shown a modified form of strip d', thc., b', dre., in which the strip is formed in three parts 7i: 7c ,762, insulated from each other by pieces Z l@ These strips are so narrow that all three together take up no more space than those already described. Each part is provided at the top edge thereof with contact-pieces in. in.' m2, which have the appearance, when placed together, of a solid strip. (See Figs. 7 and 8.) lVhen iu place in a jack, the strip appears as one piece, and any of the contacts m, fm, or m2 may make contact Wit-h the terminals g2 g3 of the plugs, so that three times as inanyconnections may be made as would be possible where the strips are composed of one piece each.

W hat we claim isl. In a multiple switchboard for telephoneexchanges the combination with a plurality ofjacks, each hearing an upper and lower series of insulated metal strips, of plugs without cords having non-conducting portions insertihle in the jacks, contact-terminals projecting from said portions to engage the metal strips, spring-contacts to engage projecting ends of said plugs, and electrical connections between the correspondin g metal strips ofthe separato jacks, substantially as described.

2. In a telephone-switchboard, the combination with a plurality of jacks each having two separate series of insulated metal strips, of Wires connecting the strips of one jack with the corresponding strips of thc other jacks, plugs having contact-terminals projecting from opposite sides of their non-conducting insertible portions, to engage said metal strips, said contact-terminals heilig' also connected to contacts at the end of the plug, and spring-contacts arranged to engage said contacts on the ends oi the plugs, when the latter are inserted in the jacks, substantially as described.

CHARLES SHORE. CHAS. HEAP.

Witnesses:

WALTER GREG, J. H. BUTTERWORTH. 

